The present invention relates to a lottery, and in particular to a lottery which may be played via the Internet.
Many countries have a national lottery. Usually, the national lottery is run by a commercial company which has received a licence from a national government. Commonly a player of a national lottery is required to choose a small set of numbers from a larger set of numbers. For example, in the British National Lottery a player chooses six numbers from a possible 49 numbers. The lottery is xe2x80x9cdrawnxe2x80x9d on a predetermined day by randomly selecting a small set of numbers from the large set of numbers. For example, in the British National Lottery six numbers are chosen from the 49 possible numbers using a machine which selects numbered balls at random.
Recently, lotteries have started to be provided on the Internet. A player of an Internet lottery logs onto a lottery Web site, and selects a set of numbers from a larger set of numbers in that same manner as a number format national lottery. Examples of Internet lotteries are Freelotto and Bananalotto. A player at the Freelotto Web site is required to select six numbers from a set of 54 numbers, and may then xe2x80x98placexe2x80x99 a bet by choosing one of three advertising banners. These advertising banners are referred to in the web site industry as xe2x80x98click-throughsxe2x80x99. The choice of advertising banner is a positive choice of an advert by the lottery player, and it is believed that the player will choose an advert that he or she is interested in, or with which he or she identifies. Each time an advertising banner is selected by a player, the company to which that advert belongs will know that their advent was the subject of a positive choice by the player. This is different to conventional advertising in which a person is a passive viewer of an advert, and does not positively select that advert for viewing.
An Internet lottery site will generally charge a fee from an advertiser each time a player of the lottery selects a banner relating to that advert. This fee is a primary source of income for the Internet lottery site provides, and indeed there may be no cost for a player to enter the lottery itself.
A disadvantage of known number selection format lotteries that may be played via the Internet is that the choice of a small set of numbers from a large set of numbers does not of itself have any conventional significance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a lottery which overcomes the above disadvantage.
According to the present invention there is provided a lottery played via the Internet, the lottery comprising a Web site arranged to present a player with a set of brands, and arranged to allow a player to select a subset of the set of brands, the Web site recording the selected subset of brands together with information identifying the player, a subset of brands subsequently being selected at random from the set of brands, the player being awarded a prize if the player""s selected subset of brands corresponds to the randomly selected subset of brands.
The inventors have noted that the selection of a subset of numbers from a larger set of numbers is commercially xe2x80x9cneutralxe2x80x9d in the sense that numbers are selected without a player giving any consideration to commercial products, service etc. Players often select xe2x80x9clucky numbersxe2x80x9d, for example a player""s birthday, wedding anniversary, house number, etc. By replacing each number with a brand (a different brand for each number), the selection of brands provides a powerful positive commercial choice. A player is likely to choose brands which relate to products of interest or products with which the player associated himself or herself.
The term xe2x80x98brandxe2x80x99 is not intended to be limited to a trademark. Instead, the term xe2x80x98brandxe2x80x99 is intended to include any promotional material, or any information that may be used as an advertisement.
Preferably, a fee is charged to a party responsible for a brand when that brand is selected by the player. The party responsible for the brand may be the brand owner, or could for example be an agency responsible for promoting the brand. As an alternative to charging a fee each time a brand is selected, a flat fee may be charged per month for a given brand.
Preferably, the Web site requires the player to answer a question. The question preferably relates to lifestyle choices of the player.
Preferably, the player is required to answer the question after the subset of brands has been selected, and prior to the Web site recording the subset of brands selected by the player.
Preferably, the answer to the question is recorded. This provides a general body of information which may be used for marketing purposes.
Preferably, the answer to the question is recorded together with information identifying the player and answers to previous questions, thereby providing information which is associated with the player. The information associated with the player may be used for marketing purposes.
Suitably, information associated with the player is recorded in a cookie located on a computer used by the player. The term xe2x80x98cookiexe2x80x99 is well known to people with expertise of the Internet, and refers to data placed on a hard drive of a user""s computer by a Web server.
Preferably, information which will allow the Web site to determine automatically the preferred language of the player is recorded in the cookie.
Alternatively, information associated with a given player is recorded at a Web server of the Web site.
Preferably, a question to be answered by the player is selected from a range of possible questions on the basis of information associated with the player.
Preferably, the information associated with the player is used to deliver targeted advertising to the player.
Preferably, the targeted advertising comprises one or more banners, the player being required to select a banner in order to instruct the Web site to record the selected subset of brands.
Preferably, the Web site includes a confirmation page which confirms the subset of brands selected by the player, the confirmation page including targeted advertising.
Preferably, the Web site is configured to send a confirmation email to the player which confirms the selected subset of brands, the confirmation email including targeted advertising.
Preferably, the Web site is configured to send register emails to the player informing the player of recent winning subsets of brands, wherein the regular emails include targeted advertising.
Preferably, the targeted advertising includes one or more hypertext links to Webs sites of advertisers.
Preferably, information associated with the player is sold to a third party.
Preferably, the Web site displays an advert during time taken to record the brands selected by the player and the information identifying the player.
Preferably, the advert comprises a window displaying a Web site corresponding to a hypertext link located in the selected banner.
The invention also provides a method of providing a lottery comprising:
transmitting across a communication network to a user a signal representing a set of brands;
accepting a signal representing the user""s selection of a subset of the set of brands;
recording the selected subset of brands together with information identifying the user;
accepting a signal representing a winning subset of brands;
comparing the winning subset of brands with the recorded selected subsets of brands; and
generating an output when a match is found between the winning subset of brands and a recorded subset of brands, the output comprising information identifying the user that selected the subset of brands which matches the winning subset of brands.
The invention also provides a system for operating a lottery, comprising:
a server comprising
a network interface to a communication network,
a database access module, and
a processor;
and a database;
wherein the processor receives information identifying a user and an associated subset of a set of brands, and stores this in the database, adding to information identifying other users and other associated subsets of brands previously stored in the database;
wherein the processor receives a winning subset of brands and accesses the database to compare the winning subset of brands with the subsets of brands stored in the database, generating an output when a match is found between the winning subset of brands and one or more of the stored subsets of brands, the output comprising information identifying the user that selected the subset of brands which matches the winning subset of brands.
The invention also provides a system for providing a lottery, comprising:
means for transmitting across a communication network to a user a signal representing a set of brands;
means for accepting a signal representing the user""s selection of a subset of the set of brands;
means for storing the selected subset of brands together with information identifying the user;
means for accepting a signal representing a winning subset of brands;
means for comparing the winning subset of brands with the stored selected subsets of brands; and
means for generating an output when a match is found between the winning subset of brands and one of the stored subsets of brands, the output comprising information identifying the user that selected the subset of brands which matches the winning subset of brands.
The invention also provides a method of entering a lottery comprising:
receiving across a communication network from a server a signal representing a set of brands;
accepting a user""s input comprising a selected subset of the set of brands;
transmitting across the communication network to the server a signal representing the user""s selected subset of the set of brands, for recordal at the server; and
subsequently accepting a signal indicating a winning subset of brands and indicating whether or not the user""s selected subset of brands corresponds to the winning subset of brands.